Basic
As a student from the European Union (EU) studying at a boarding school in the UK, the relative distance from the home country means students can travel to see family during the holidays.
When searching for guardianship support, you may find some organisations offer packages which include services you do not require and there may be other emergency services such as homestay accommodation which are not included. After much research, GNet has created a Basic Guardianship Package especially for European students.
What is included in the Basic guardianship service?
24/7 emergency care and assistance.
Students and parents are given a mobile number to use in cases of emergency.
Regular contact with the student.
We will contact the student at least twice per term to check that they are well and happy in the UK.
Liaison with the student, their parents and the school.
We are available to help with queries by email/phone during office hours. We will also be in contact with the school whenever necessary.
We also offer a wide range of other services that can be booked as and when needed (for example, if you need us to attend a parents’ meeting or offer other academic support, if you require a taxi transfer or if you would like us to arrange private tutoring sessions).
Do I need an educational guardian if I live in the EU?
Most boarding schools in the UK require all students who live overseas to have an appointed educational guardian. They usually require details of the nominated guardian during the application process. Some schools offer their own guardianship services; however, we recommend choosing an accredited guardianship organisation such as GNet in case any problems arise in the school.
GNet offers an effective and efficient service – as soon as we receive the completed forms and confirmation of your payment, we will issue a guardianship letter.
Depending on where your home country is, in relation to the UK, you may be able to travel home for the school holidays: Easter, Christmas, half term breaks and possibly even exeat weekends (if your school has these). For this reason, you may not think having an appointed guardian in the UK is necessary. However, emergencies can occur which your school may not be able to deal with.
Example: A student became unwell but could not travel home as there were important exams coming up and could not remain in the boarding house at school as they were infectious. The school requested an emergency host was found to accommodate them until they were recovered. As the family had our Basic Guardianship package, the student already had a family ready and willing to look after him and provide for his needs until he was recovered and able to return to school to take his exams.
